Hospital is not a ‘park and ride’

FROME Community Hospital is urging people to only use its car park for medical visits and not as a ‘park and ride’ for walking round the town, as more and more patients say they can’t park and are late for appointments.

Patients of both Frome Community Hospital and Frome Medical Practice have been late for appointments and distressed by parking problems at the hospital, Frome Times has been told.

Staff say cars are regularly left parked by people walking their dogs or working in the town,  filling up the car park and blocking spaces needed by patients.

Secretary to the matron at the hospital, Cath Hirons said, “We would like to reach out to the public and encourage them to find alternative parking other than the hospital and medical practice so we can ensure our patients can utilise these spaces to ensure they receive the best care possible whilst on site. The car park was never intended to be used as a ‘park and ride’ and doing so is putting vulnerable patients at risk.

“Patients – some of whom are seriously ill or have mobility problems – are telling us they can’t park outside the hospital. It’s clearly distressing for them and in turn this impacts on our staff.

“We know the car park is being used by people walking their dogs in the fields, walking into town to work, and dropping their children off to local schools.

“Imagine being on crutches or needing dialysis and not being able to get to the hospital on time because people are blocking the car park. We’re appealing to people to be compassionate and please park elsewhere; our patients  must take priority.

“We don’t have as much space as we would like but it’s important to us to be able to offer patients free and convenient parking.”

The car park serves both the hospital and medical practice, offering unlimited free  parking for  patients and visitors.

The medical practice says it has also been affected by the problem.

The practice’s travel plan co-ordinator Simon Plummer said, “It would be a real shame to have to stop offering free parking, but if the problem persists, more drastic measures will have to be taken.

“Patients have complained of not being able to park and have turned up late to their appointments because of it. It’s a problem that has got progressively worse and something needs to change.

“We’re appealing to people’s good nature to stop blocking the car park and hopefully we won’t have to take this further.”